COVID-19 & Climate Change: The Connection
There is solid scientific evidence to link COVID-19 with Climate Change – and the dangers of a combined media driven “crisis” are unimaginable. Both issues could be effectively managed with an informed public response. However, it seems many politicians will continue to push a “crisis” narrative to further manufacture fear, increase controls, and steal individual liberties.
As we have seen with COVID-19, the “cures” have been far worse than the disease. Lockdowns have proven ineffective and have largely been pushed by politicians who seem to be following an agenda vs. science. The interventionalist policies are thinly veiled power grabs which damage the economy and our livelihoods – making us all more dependent on government.
As the same people push a combined narrative and political/media blitz with COVID-19 and climate change, the implications to freedom, capitalism, and democracy are beyond serious. The stage has been set, and without public awareness and opposition, the world will be fast tracked to a global top-down framework of social and economic contracts where we are told what to think and how to live.
COVID-19 and Climate Change challenges ARE monumental, and solutions will impact us ALL. The question is: how do we solve these problems? In the US, republicans and democrats have adopted a polarizing path forward through each “crisis”. Given the magnitude of situation, and variances in approaches, it is clear the future will be substantially different depending on who wins the 2020 election and guides us forward.
For COVID-19, the Biden-Harris platform emphasizes control. We should control COVID-19 through testing, contact tracing, national mask mandates, and lockdowns. The Trump administration has championed individual freedoms and has largely deferred to governors to implement more localized restrictions while limiting federal interference. Trump has encouraged businesses and schools to reopen – and has supported treatment and vaccination initiatives. Both parties claim to be following the science.
With Climate Change, the approaches also sit in stark contrast. The Biden-Harris platform clearly outlines policy changes and controls to drive clean energy initiatives and draw down fossil fuel use – with a longer term vision towards the Green New Deal. Conversely, the Trump administration has shown substantial support for energy independence and innovation – with backing for coal, fracking, and the petroleum industry to support business and the economy.
Obviously, the priorities and path forward with either administration will have a substantive affect on all our daily lives.
What may not be as obvious, is the policy distinction between COVID-19, health, and climate change will blur in the coming weeks and months. Since there is a fundamental scientific connection – media will likely flock to the upcoming narrative in which COVID-19 and Climate Change are unified into a singular, monumental, global crisis. The story will be: To stop COVID-19 and protect human health, we need to draw down fossil fuel use and pollutants. Interestingly, the widespread COVID-19 outbreak and failed government responses have created a situation wherein previously drastic measures in the Green New Deal may seem much more reasonable in the near future. Driven by heightened media attention , I am sure an idealistic wave of environmental activists will rally to “save the world”.
The political and policy implications of this combined crisis will be largely defined by the timing – and who is in the White House. When will the media start pushing this narrative?